(Story and photos by Matt Drzik, additional photos courtesy of Mark Peterson)

Aliquippa has a long and storied past–mixed with good and bad alike–but on Wednesday, Pennsylvania governor Tom Wolf spoke about pushing that needle back towards the good end of the meter.

The governor’s appearance on Franklin Avenue comes on the heels of a recently announced grant that is set to help eliminate the current blight that can be seen throughout town, and revitalize the city’s overall infrastructure and appearance. Wolf spoke highly of the direction the town is to take with this plan.

“The question we have is ‘Do we like what we see? Do we like like the way things have been going over the last thirty, forty fifty years in the direction of Aliquippa?’ And I think the answer has to be ‘no’,” Wolf said. “What the mayor and his team are trying to do–and I’m proud to be a partner in this–is to make Aliquippa better than it has been.”

The mayor, Dwan B. Walker, warmly welcomed the governor to Aliquippa, sharing his vision of Aliquippa’s future for infrastructure with Wolf in an impassioned presentation.

“Everybody in this city will have an equal opportunity to speak on anything that comes,” Mayor Walker spoke. “We’re looking for partners; we’re not looking for bullies.”

Joining the two main speakers were Aliquippa Act 47 coordinator Debbie Grass, Greg Jones of the CEC, and PennDot Pittsburgh coordinator Cheryl Sirianni. The trio discussed the future plans to reconfigure the city’s look and structure, including a plan to widen and provide more access to downtown around the current Route 51 interchange.

Overall, the feeling was one of motivation and optimism. As governor Wolf stated, “Aliquippa really deserves to be back to where it was…and even better.”

Additional photos can be seen below from the governor’s visit: